A market can be full of food and a family can still go hungry.

In Nigeria, farmers harvest crops, markets receive fresh produce, and food moves across cities every day. Yet millions of households still struggle to afford enough nutritious food. This reveals an important truth: food availability and food security are not the same thing.

Food availability means that food exists through production, imports, markets, and other supplies. Food security goes further. It means people can consistently access sufficient, safe, nutritious, and affordable food to meet their needs.

Consider a farmer who harvests hundreds of crates of tomatoes but lacks adequate storage or transportation. Much of the produce may spoil before reaching consumers. Meanwhile, families in urban communities may struggle to afford fresh vegetables because of rising prices. Food exists, but access remains limited.

Affordability, distance, poor infrastructure, insecurity, and weak distribution systems can all create gaps between where food is produced and where it is needed. Even when families have enough to eat, they may lack the variety of nutrients required for healthy living.

This is why addressing hunger requires more than producing food. It requires strengthening the systems that produce, preserve, distribute, and make nutritious food accessible.

The Lagos Food Bank Initiative reflects this broader approach. Through the Temporary Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), vulnerable households receive essential food support. The Agricultural Recovery Programme rescues surplus produce that might otherwise be lost, while Family Farming helps low-income households grow food and strengthen their livelihoods. Through NUMEPLAN, vulnerable mothers and children receive targeted nutritional support.

Ultimately, the question is not simply whether Nigeria has enough food. It is whether that food can reach the people who need it, when they need it, at a price they can afford, and in a form that nourishes them.

Food security begins when food does not merely exist, but reaches the people who need it most.